[DigitalToday reporter Dae-geon Seok] LG Electronics is introducing, for the first time in the Middle East, a B2B-only space that combines home appliances and building management. LG Electronics said on Sept. 14 it opened the Middle East region's first B2B-only AI home experience space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The space is designed around premium local residential settings such as a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. A large number of locally tailored built-in appliances, including ovens, hoods and refrigerators, are on display. Furniture suited to the space is also placed through collaboration with lifestyle brands. Visitors can walk through a space set up like a real home and check a living environment that operates according to living patterns and the characteristics of the space.

The company showcased AI home solutions connected around its AI home hub, ThinQ ON. Visitors can also experience generative AI functions that control the space by voice command alone and, linked with the Homey Pro IoT platform, easily connect a range of devices sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Turnkey building management solutions developed with partners including Schneider Electric in energy management and Assa Abloy in security were also displayed, drawing interest from property developers and hospitality operators, the company said.

It also presented a plan to speed up its push into the Global South B2B market. Targeting demand from B2B customers such as local construction companies, it is promoting an integrated AI home solution that covers IoT device control, energy management and space-condition monitoring.

Demand for smart buildings and premium residential complexes in Saudi Arabia is rising rapidly. Market research firm Grand View Horizon projected the Saudi smart home market would grow at an average annual rate of more than 27 percent, from about $2.0 billion in 2024 to about $8.7 billion in 2030.

LG Electronics will use Saudi Arabia's geopolitical advantage linking the Middle East and Africa to operate the space as a regional hub B2B showroom. It plans to expand customer touchpoints to major cities such as Jeddah and Dammam within this year. In South Korea, it has applied solutions to more than 1,000,000 households in cooperation with major construction companies, while in North America it is targeting the builder market with LG ThinQ Pro and in Europe it is targeting environmentally friendly demand with an energy management system based on the open platform Homey.

Kim Sung-jae (김성재), head of LG Electronics' HS overseas sales group and an executive vice president, said, "Starting with this Riyadh AI home experience space, we will firmly establish ourselves as a trusted B2B partner in local infrastructure construction projects in the Middle East, a key region of the Global South, by leading with tailored solutions."